UNITED NATIONS: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday lashed out at the United Nations for inaction on the Gaza Strip, accusing Israel of turning the Palestinian territory into the “world’s largest children’s and women’s cemetery.”
While addressing the UN General Assembly, Erdogan condemned the UN’s inaction regarding the ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza and accused Israel of committing atrocities against Palestinians.
Erdogan criticized the ongoing Israel military operations that have resulted in the deaths of at least 41,470 Palestinians, mostly women and children. He urged the UN to take immediate action to halt “genocide” in the territory.
“The truth, the values that the West claims to defend are dying,” Erdogan stated, questioning the humanitarian concerns of Western nations and human rights organizations. He lamented that “not only children but also the UN system is dying in Gaza.”
In a pointed critique of the UN Security Council, Erdogan highlighted its failure to intervene decisively. He said that “the world is bigger than five,” referring to the five permanent members of the Council, which includes the US, Israel’s staunch ally.
Erdogan pressed the UN Security Council to act, asking, “What are you waiting for to prevent the genocide in Gaza and to say ‘stop’ to this cruelty, this barbarism?”
Erdogan also voiced support for Lebanon amid escalating Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah. He accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of exacerbating tensions in the region, likening him to Adolf Hitler.
“Just as Hitler was stopped by the alliance of humanity 70 years ago, Netanyahu and his murder network must be stopped by the ‘alliance of humanity,'” Erdogan said.
The Turkish president called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where Israeli military operations have killed over 41,470 people since October 7. Erdogan outlined three urgent steps: achieving a permanent ceasefire, facilitating a hostage-prisoner exchange, and ensuring uninterrupted humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza.
